Cover for vehicle wheels



Sept. 12, 1950 H. J. HORN COVER FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed June 12,. 1947 INVENTOR HARRY HORN ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 12, 1950 vcovert FoRvEHIcLE WHEELS Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 12, 1947, Serial No. 754,107

' This invention relates to a cover for a vehicle wheel and more particularly to a spring clip mechanism for detachablysecuring a cover plate to a vehicle wheel.

- Iti s common practice to provide vehicle wheels, particularly automotive :vehicle wheels, with cover plates primarily for decorative purposes in that they conceal the hub and bolts or cap screws which secure the wheel to the hub.

'Itis an object of this invention to produce a spring clip mechanism for securing a cover plate to a wheel which is simple, easily assembled to the wheel and will efiectively secure the cover plate to the wheel.

My invention contemplates a spring clip mechanism for securin a cover plate to a wheel which lends itself for ready assembly upon the wheel as initial equipment'or for subsequent as- 'sembly to the Wheel after it has been in use as'a'n accessory.

The term cover is used herein broadly to include a wheel cover commonly a hub'cap.

In the drawings: r

Fig. I shows a front elevation of the wheel with referred to as 8 Claims. (01. 501-31) thecover assembled to the wheel by my clip j mechanism.

"Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line'Z- l of Fig. 1.

Fig. "3 is an enlarged sectional view of the .spring clip as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of that portion of the wheel and clip shown-in Fig. 3 with the cover removed. I e v v Fig. '5 shows the" construction where the spring clip assembly is mounted. on the inside of the wheel but on the outside of the dual wheel as- 'sembly.

two disk or dualwheels is and l I.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 5 with the cover removed,

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of that portionof the,

structure shown in Fig. 7.

In the drawings I have shown a wheel as-1 sembly comprising a hub l, a rim 2 and a pressed steel wheel body 3 secured to rim 2 by rivets 4. Wheel body 3 is secured to huh I in a conventional manner by bolts 5.

Wheel body 3 as herein shown is in the form of a pressed steel disk having a plurality of openings 6 therein. For purposes of description, body 3 is shown with four such openings.

Cover plate I is in the form of a dished sheet metal stamping having an edge 8 in the form of a circumferential bead.

For retaining cover plate 1 detachably secured to wheel body 3, there is provided an assembly comprising an annular ring 9 which carries a plurality of sprin clips I0 and distortable tabs ll. Ring 9 is preferably provided with a flange l2 along its inner circumference and the inside diameter of ring 9 will be greater than the outer diameter of hub flange [3 so that ring 9 will not interfere with assembly of the wheel body to hub I or the disassembly therefrom.

Tabs II are preferably formed integral with metal ring 9 but can be made as separate items and attached to the ring' by welding or riveting.

Tabs H are preferably formed of ductile steel and initially project outwardly substantially at right angles to. ring 9, as shown in the dotted lines, Fig. 3. Ring e is assembled to wheel body 3 by passing tabs H through openings 6 and then bending tabs l l downwardly from the dotted line to the full line showing in Fig. 3 so that the tabs overlap'the outer face of the wheel body.

Clips iii are made from a spring material, such as spring steel, and can be integral with ring 9, but preferably are made as separate spring clip elements and attached to the ring 9 by rivets l4. Each clip In is provided with a hump i5 which interengages bead 8 of cover 1 to detachably secure cover plate 1 to wheel body 3.

In Fig. 5 I have shown my spring clip assembly used with the wheel body 3 of the outer of I When my clip, assembly is used for retaining a cover on a single wheel, the ring 9 will be'mounted on the inside of the wheel body 3 (Fig. 3) whereas when my clip assembly is used with a dual wheel,

"ring 9 will be mounted on the inside of the wheel body .(Fig. 5) but on the outside of the dual wheel assembly and this necessitates reversing clip 19 on ring 9, otherwise the construction is the same as above described.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a modified form of my invention wherein the ring 9A is of channelsection and .is provided with a plurality of spring fingers 18 each provided with a hump B9. In assembling ring 9A to wheel body 3, fingers '18 are pressed through,v and interen gage wheel body 3 in opening 6 with humps. l9 interengaging the outer face of body 3 along the lower edge of opening 6. Thus, the modified form, Figs. '7 and 8, substitutes spring clips or fingers l8 for the bendable tabs II.

It is, of course, understood that there preferably will be a spring clip l0 and a tab I l or spring finger l8 for each of the openings 6.

With ring 9 assembled to the wheel body, as described above, it will be readily appreciated that cover plate! can be snapped over spring clips which cooperate with bead 8 to retain the cover plate in place. As shown, spring clips it! are positioned ninety degrees (90) apart about ring 9 and each pair of diametrically opposed clips 10 will be spaced slightly farther apart than the internal diameter" of bead 8 sothatclips ill will resiliently interengage bead 8 to detachably lock the cover plate to the wheel body.

It will be noted that face 5A of each clip" 10 contacts bead 8 along its inner circumference. and tends to cam or urge bead 8 tightly into' engagement with the adjacent faceof; wheel. body 3.

Iclaim:

1. In combination a wheel body having-.a. plu-- rality of circumferentially spaced openings positioned equidistant from the center of the.- wheel body, an annular ring positioned in co-axial relation with. the. wheel body and havin a plurality of. projections projecting through and interen gaging the wheel body insaid openings'for securingthering to the wheel'body, and a plurality ofsprlng clips. secured to-said ring and eX-- tending beyond theouter. peripheryv of. said ring, and a. cover. plate. interengagingsaid. springclips along the. inner circumference of said. cover. for: retaining the cover plateon. the. wheel body and for concealing saidringandclips.

2.. In. combination a wheelv body having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings,-, an. annular ring positioned. in. co-axial relatiorrwithv the. wheelbody and having v a. plurality of. prcn-- jections projecting through and interengaging the. wheel. body for. securing; the.ring ;to the wheel.

body, and a plurality ofspring clips secured to sa-iclring and projecting outwardly of. thewheel.

spring clips securedto saidringand projecting outwardly therefromsubstantially perpendicular. to the planeof the ring and projectingoutwardly fromthe wheel body for interengagement with.

a cover plate, each. clip havin a return-.bent.por.-

tion. and projecting into one of; said openings in.

said wheel. body.

4. The combination as set. forth inclaim. 3.-in.-

cluding. a cover plate. having a circumferential.-

inwardly turned bead which interengages. the

spring clips to retain the cover plate on the wheel body the said, clips. extending beyond the outer circumference of the ring and the cover extend.- ing, over the clips to conceal both the ring and the clips.

5'. The combinationv as set forth in claim 3'.

includinga cover plate having'a circumferential 6 bead, each ofsaid spring clips having a cam. por- 4 tion which inter-engages the inner circumference of the bead and tends to cam the beaded edge of the cover plate against the face of the wheel body.

6. In combination, a disc wheel body having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, a ring positionedv in co-axi'al relation' with the disk wheel body, a plurality of members carried by said ring and passing through said circum- "ferentially spaced openings and inter-engaging thewheelbody on the side opposite to the side on which the ring is located, and a plurality of springclips secured to said ring and projecting outwardly therefrom substantially perpendicular to the plan'e-of' th'e ringand projecting outwardly fromthe. wheel. body for interengagement with a cover plate, each spring clip having a corresponding opening in said wheel body, and each spring clip having a return bent section adjacent the-periphery of. said ring. and eachspring; clip having; aportion projecting into the adjacent." opening-:inthe wheelbody.

7. In combination, a disk wheel body having at pluralitypfcireumferentially spaced openings,

a ring positioned in co-axial relation with the;

disk wheel body-,- a-plurality of spring clip mem bers carried by sai-d'ring and passing throughsaid. circumferentially spaced openings and interen' gaging the wheel:- body onthe side opposite to the side on which the ring is located, and. a-.

plurality of. spring; clips; secured to said: ring; and.- projecting outwardly therefrom substantially" perpendicular to the plane of the..ring;and.-pro.--

jectfing outwardly from. the wheel bo'dy'for' interengagement withacover plate.-

8; In, combination, adished or. concave disk; wheeh body having; a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, a :ring, positioned in. the

concave side of, and in co-axial relation with the dislnwheelbody, apluralityofmembers carried by said-wing. and passing; through saidicircumferentially spaced openings and inter-engag ing the wheel body on the side oppositeto theside on" which the-ring is located, aplurality of spring clipssecured-tosaid ring and extending beyond the outer circumference of said ring, each spring.

clip. having .areturnbent portion and projecting into one of said openings in said wheel body, andi a cover; platehavingits circumferential edge-in.- terengaged with said spring. clips to retainthe cover plate.-on.-.the.- wheel body,. the saidv cover plate. extending beyond and concealing both the ring and the said clips.

I HARRY. J. HDRN;

REFERENCES omen The following references are of record inzther fileof this; patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date. I 2,202,102- vHorn. May. 28, 1.940 2,264,000 McKechnie Nov.. 25,134.11. 2,361,406 Lyon .Oct. 31,1944 2,358,241 Lyon Jan. 30; 1.945 2,410,174 Lyon Oct. 29, 1956' 

